| dc.description.abstract | Background: In commercial pig farms, lowering the costs associated with
treatment of clinically sick animals and avoiding losses caused by subclinical
diseases are prerequisites of efficient production. Apart from minimizing disease
challenge by reducing the germ load, diseases can also be controlled by increasing
the animals’ specific resistance by vaccination. In order to protect the piglets,
vaccines can be administered either indirectly to the sows, and thus the maternal
antibodies can be transmitted to the piglets via colostrum, or directly to the
piglets.
Objectives: The aim of the study was to examine piglets’ maternal antibody
levels against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, Escherichia coli and porcine circovirus
type 2 (PCV2) in a Hungarian commercial pig farm. Piglets were vaccinated against
PCV2, and its efficacy was also investigated.
Materials and Methods: Blood samples of twenty piglets, originating from
five sows were collected at the age of 7, 14, 21, 28, and 38 days (D7, D14, D21, D28
and D38, respectively). M. hyopneumoniae, E. coli and PCV2 antibody levels were
assessed in the samples. Piglets’ bodyweight was also measured each time when
blood samples were collected.
Results and Discussion: M. hyopneumoniae antibody levels were in the negative
range in each piglet’s sample throughout the experiment, showing that the
investigated sows and their piglets are susceptible to the disease caused by the
bacterium. PCV2 antibody levels constantly and significantly decreased between
D7 and D28. By D38, due to PCV-2 vaccination on D24, a remarkable but not
significant increase was observable, however, despite the vaccination, 50% of
the piglets remained in the negative range. E. coli antibody levels also decreased
continuously; proportion of piglets in the positive range decreased from 45 to
39% between D7 and D28. PCV2 and E. coli antibody values and their variations by
time were mainly determined by the sow. Presumably, due to the low values, the
same effect was not detectable in M. hyopneumoniae antibodies. No correlation
was found between piglets’ bodyweight and serum antibody levels | en_US |
